Jay was a champion at the Special Olympics in this picture when he was 9.
He's still a champion slow eater!
So this week, that will be my Spring Focus goal. I want to work to slow down my eating. I'm embarrassed to admit, but I usually spend 40- 60 minutes cooking a great meal and only about 10 minutes eating it. My initial goal is modest. I want to spend at least 15 minutes eating my dinner. I'll put smaller amounts on my fork, put down the fork between bites, stop for drinks of water, talk a bit more with DH and Jay, and, if I have to, pace myself to Jay to slow down.
Jay's 14th birthday--he even eats birthday cake slowly!
Jay is our youngest. He is 28, works in a sheltered job in a retirement home restaurant, saves every penny he earns, has a terrific sense of humor, knows the prologue to Romeo & Juliette by heart, picks up litter when he takes his two, mile-long walks around our neighborhood, and loves to shuck corn. He has Down Syndrome. He reads at about a 5th grade level, loves to write in his black & white speckled composition books, and has the world's best collection of VHS & DVDs (all the great musicals, Fairy Tale Theater, every season of Monk, every season of Due South, 12 versions of Romeo & Juliette, the Disney classics, and many other great movies).
I'm doing great, so far, on my goal to exercise every day. I'm going to go work out with my Wii tonight and tomorrow morning is my last day with the C25K. YAY!
Jay shucking corn on the cob a few days ago. He's a handy guy to have around.
How about you? Do you need to take a lesson from Jay about eating more slowly?
Thank you for the blog mention. That made my day!! :-)
ReplyDeleteOh yes, I need to slow down! I also need to stop eatting in my bedroom or living room etc. I can trace it back all the way to probably 5th grade. Habits really do start early, don't they? Maybe I will work on this this next week or perhaps the week after, my week is booked solid, lol. No sence adding more stress to my already sure to be stressful week. I am sure your words will haunt me and I will slow down. And I thank you for that.
ReplyDeleteI definitely could slow down eating - I tend to eat so mindlessly, reading or watching TV, or shoveling it in quick while Sophie is distracted . . .
ReplyDeleteMy kids told me I could win a speed eating contest. They are shocked at how fast I can put down a meal. I am always trying to do 100 things while I eat or I need to eat quick to do something else.
ReplyDeleteyes, I need to take a lesson from Jay!
Great post!
Tish! Thank you for sharing about Jay with us. I have been wanting to know more about him. I have a special love for Down's syndrome kids. My best friend's first grandchild was born with Downs and I just love Nick. Then there is John at church. I have so many good stories to tell about John. I always like to tell that John has read the entire Bible, which is better than I can say for myself. I think John is the same age as Jay. And of course I love all the Downs babies that come through our nursery. I am taking care of one right now.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I am trying to slow my eating down. Right now I am trying to be 'mindful' when I eat. No reading, watching videos or reading blogs. Trying to pay attention and really savor the food. Its hard sometimes because I don't have anyone to talk to. But I notice that when I eat while doing something else, pretty soon the food is gone and I say, where did it go? When I pay attention, at least I see the end coming!
Great post, Tish!
oh, you are so right. I, too, am a Speed Eater. Sometimes finishing before my kids and then just sitting there, watching everyone else eat. Not good.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the lesson Jay is teaching you about slowing down and enjoying the meal and making it last! It sounds like he is a neat guy!
ReplyDeleteOh definitely, I need to slow down! I shall follow yours and Jay's excellent examples and address it (again).
ReplyDeleteJay has a kindred spirit in me: I like Due South, Monk, and writing in black & white composition books. He lost me on the corn, though. :)
My Liam is also 28 and is a slow eater. He'd be at the table long after everybody else was done. I'm a very fast eater who works hard at slowing down. :)
ReplyDeletep.s. forgot to say give Jay a 'high five' for having every season of Monk. He has excellent taste! I guess I better go check out Due South!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post - thanks for reminding me of one of my worst habits. I'm a speed eater. Honestly - if you and I went to dinner we'd be in and out of the restaurant in no time flat.
ReplyDeleteJay would love my hubby - he's a huge movie fan!
Gosh Tish, I am the same way - spending so much time making delicious meals and devouring them within a matter of minutes. I have found that the slower I eat, the less I eat in the long run... giving my body time to digest food and realize that it's not hungry anymore!
ReplyDeleteTish,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your beautiful son, Jay with us. He can deifnitely teach me a lot about slowing down, and savoring a meal. In the same vain, I was listening to the Thomas Jefferson Hour on NPR today while I was fixing my daughters' lunch,. Clay Jenkins who portraits TJ, was discussing how dining was a much more relaxing and social activity than it is now.
Mary @ A Simple Twist of Faith
A few years ago I worked with a diet doctor here in France who taught me a TON. She had a lot of different exercises basically all about being more aware of what I ate & my levels of satisfaction, and to stop eating on autopilot. I too eat fast, and I think one of the keys to long term weight success is learning to be more aware of eating - speed, taste, texture, satisfaction, appreciation, hunger levels, etc. HOW to eat.
ReplyDeleteIt's great that your son can teach you so much. Teach us all so much!
Jay is so sweet, and very wise. I need to slow down, not just in eating, but in every day stuff.
ReplyDeleteThank you all for your kind comments. I had my blog open the other day and Jay noticed a picture of himself and was very interested to know what he was doing on my computer. So I told him. Tonight he kept looking over at my plate to see if I was eating slowly. I was. <3
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